World Rugby has announced record-breaking fan figures for the men’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, after another compelling season on and off the field.

The 2016-17 series, the first after rugby sevens’ Olympic Games debut at Rio, saw massive crowds in cities including Dubai, Cape Town, Sydney, Vancouver, Las Vegas, Hong Kong and London as the total attendance over the 10 rounds increased by almost ten per cent, to 734,000 fans. The total social media community reached 120 million across multiple languages as the series broadcast to a global TV audience in over 100 countries.

The figures reflect the increased popularity of a sport that saw its fan-base increase by almost 17 million people in six key territories and as much as an estimated 30 million worldwide (Neilsen), as sevens basked in the golden halo of a high-octane Olympic Games debut.